IS THIS YOU?

Nurses General Nursing

Published

You are reading page 2 of IS THIS YOU?

Zee_RN, BSN, RN

951 Posts

Specializes in Hospice, Critical Care.

Bless you all. I thought I was the only one. People look at me like I'm psychotic when I say perfume and other scents should be forbidden in a hospital.

I had a patient who ended up going for a stat head CT in the middle of the night (involving monitoring equipment and an accompanying RN since she was an ICU patient)after her night nurse had come in wearing perfume and brought on severe headache and vomiting. Pt's headache lasted over 24 hours and Dilaudid was only thing that took the edge off. A repeat CT scan performed next day brought up complications when the escorts came up wearing perfume! I also get headaches from strong scents so I can relate. FORBID the stuff! (We do have a policy but I've never seen it enforced; I brought this up to my manager but she has bigger fish to try at the moment--staffing!).

As a former respiratory therapist I agree with the posters that mentioned bronchospasm reactions to perfumes and nausea related to same,but, i would like to take this discussion to one more conclusion based on observation of the chronic smoker.

If someone whom has smoked for thirty years smells it on your clothes they will actually CRAVE IT!

Gross,I know,but true.

Excellent topic, and certainly worthy of consideration as policy in any setting.

AJACKT33Z, LVN

39 Posts

I USE LIGHT AFTERSHAVE & SUCK ON ALTOIDS WHEN I HAVE A CIGARETTE--NO, I DO NOT CARE, BECAUSE IT'S STILL(RELATIVELY) A FREE COUNTRY-I AM OUTSIDE WHEN I SMOKE-YES IT'S A BAD HABIT, BUT MINE OWN--GO AHEAD & REPLY NEGATIVELY--THINK IT WILL CHG MY MIND? HOMEY DON'T PLAY DAT

ktwlpn, LPN

3,844 Posts

Specializes in LTC,Hospice/palliative care,acute care.
Originally posted by SUBQ:

I have a little down time so I'll cast a peeve of mine.

I just can't stand anyone who comes to work with cologne or perfume.

Don't these people know that in a hospital that there are patients w/ respiratory problems, and that the odor could trigger a bronchospasm?

One other thing: Nurses and their damn fingernails.

I can't count how many nurses that I have worked with who have long NASTY fingernails.

Not that I object to pretty fingernails; however, nursing is not a place to be sporting long fingernails. As we all know, long fingernails are not sanitary and therefore can promote nosocomial infections.

So in another words, don't wear the Channel No.9 and those skanky Lee Press On Nails to work.

Have you ever seen a nurse with Lee press-ons disimpact an elderly patient-and then come up for air to discover that her nail has penetrated the glove? O MAN...I was toast-We all told her she got what she deserved....and the nails were gone the next day...

mud

52 Posts

hi there. I strongly agree that perfume is very offensive to some of our pts. Not to mention hazardous to those with resp. problems. As for long nail, real or not. This is just plain gross and unprofessional. About the poor nurse who ate garlic in her meal. Do you propose that we not eat? No amount of toothbrushing can cure that one, and we all know that!

mustangsheba

499 Posts

Well let me add something else. I am allergic to the soap in the dispensers in some of the hospitals where I work. The strong fragrance gives me a HA, my nose plugs up, and my hands tingle.

Zee_RN, BSN, RN

951 Posts

Specializes in Hospice, Critical Care.

Mustangsheba: Our hospital changed dispenser soaps about a year ago. Many people in my unit (ICU) developed symptoms such as yours. (Oddly enough, no other unit had complaints.) They complained and visited the hospital employee health nurse frequently. Shortly thereafter, they reverted back to the old soap but only in ICU, where people had reactions. Push for a change; hopefully they'll find something that works better for you. (I actually was one of the rare people whose hands PREFERRED the soap most others had reactions to; go figure!)

Doc

55 Posts

I strongly agree with the fragrances - not just bronchospasm but migraines and skin rashes too! As for the nails, there are a few of us that play classical guitar and as a result we have slightly long nails on one hand. We don't use acrylics or clip-ons and we don't paint our nails. We take extra care in handwashing to get that soap in under the nails. I have NEVER had difficulty donning gloves or had a nail penetrate the glove. I don't file the nails on my right hand to a sharp angle and they are not really that long. Do you think it's really an infection risk?

[This message has been edited by bshort (edited March 14, 2001).]

Specializes in Emergency Room.

Good topic. I agree with all other posters except the smoker. I also can get migraines from odors.. and if I already have a headache and I smell something noxious, god help me. I do have another observation... Why does it seem as though most respiratory therapists smoke???? 4 of 6 of our therapists smoke. And quite heavily, I might add. Is this common elsewhere? And how must those poor patients feel when they come to treat them??

CityNightOwl

2 Posts

How about adding: coloured underwear under tight white uniforms, filthy dirty & pretty smelly shoes, loop earings big enough to grab with several fingers, bubble gum chewing and blowing, unprofessional language and long loose hair?

JennieBSN

350 Posts

Originally posted by CityNightOwl:

How about adding: coloured underwear under tight white uniforms, filthy dirty & pretty smelly shoes, loop earings big enough to grab with several fingers, bubble gum chewing and blowing, unprofessional language and long loose hair?

LMAO!! I swear, every unit seems to have a nurse who insists on dressing like a hooker for work! We have one nurse who looks like she gets her makeup from Sherwin-Williams, and there's so much hairspray in her big hairdo that not even a hurricane could move it!! Every other word out of her mouth (in casual conversation with staff) is f***! Thank goodness we're required to wear hospital scrubs, which are dark purple...otherwise I'm sure we'd have the 'thong' thing going on with her, too! LOL!!

Mijourney

1,301 Posts

Ditto to most of the previous posts, and I also have a problem with the doctors seeing patients without washing their hands before and after. I wasn't aware that they were anointed as germ free.

+ Add a Comment